ACTION Apartment Association

Santa Monica Preservationists Look to Downtown Plan to Protect Historic Buildings

08/09/2016 7:14 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

August 9, 2016 -- From the Promenade’s Criterion Theatre and Apartments, built in 1924 with an opulence that rivaled the most famed Hollywood movie palaces, to a sprawling 1950s office complex on Arizona Avenue, Downtown sites offer a glimpse of Santa Monica through the decades.

But many don't have the protections of designated landmarks, and it is not clear how they will fare in the latest draft of the Downtown Community Plan (DCP), preservationists said.

Downtown Community Plan Event

08/08/2016 11:44 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Date: Sat, Aug 13th 2016, 10:00am - 2:00pm

Come listen to three local expert panelists share their perspectives on subjects like Adaptive Reuse, Affordable and market-rate housing and the challenges of creating new projects that fit into their existing environments.

SMRR Convention 2016

08/08/2016 7:07 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

POSTED AUG. 8, 2016

The SMRR endorsement has historically been almost a requirement for winning elected office in Santa Monica.

One Less Tax Proposal on Santa Monica Ballot

08/08/2016 7:02 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

August 8, 2016 -- Santa Monica voters will be deciding on a large number of local and regional tax proposals this November, but at least one that was supposed to appear on the ballot will not.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently removed a measure that would fund homeless services through a marijuana tax.

Development, lobbying up for City Council action

08/07/2016 10:53 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Ellis Act study

Staff is supporting a request from the Rent Control Board for a City-funded study on the loss of rent-controlled units within the city.

18 (and counting) running for City Council

08/07/2016 10:51 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Rent Control Board

Also running for one of the two available seats are incumbent Christopher Walton and two challengers: Elaine Golden-Gealer and Caroline Torosis.

Council Should Study Why Housing Units Leave Santa Monica Rental Market, Staff Says

08/05/2016 11:03 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

August 5, 2016 -- With the number of housing units being removed from the rental market in Santa Monica via the Ellis Act on the rise, City staff says a study should be conducted on what factors are leading to this trend.

A recommendation will go to the City Council on Tuesday to authorize a study that could cost as much as $80,000.

The idea for the study came from Nicole Phillis, chair of the Rent Control Board.

New Study Ranks Santa Monica Among Least Affordable for First-Time Home Buyers

08/04/2016 1:25 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A new study ranks Santa Monica among the least affordable cities for first-time home buyers, ranking 296th of 300 cities analyzed by Wallet Hub, a personal-finance research site, for overall affordability for novices.

$135K Raised to Fight Santa Monica’s LUVE Initiative

08/03/2016 10:25 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

August 3, 2016 -- Two separate campaign committees raised a combined $135,000 in the effort to defeat the LUVE initiative, which seeks to curb development in Santa Monica by placing a significant number of projects and other planning decisions on the ballot.

SMRR tactics work — in a conventional manner

08/03/2016 7:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

WITH SMRR, WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET

They weren’t born yesterday. Not hard to figure out what the board wants because the folks on the mic, co-chairs Patricia Hoffman and Denny Zane, made no bones about it. After touting their own credentials, more than once. Very strongly worded pronouncements were made about each vote coming up, often more than once, so the voting members had no doubt how they were expected to vote. Is the opposing side given that voice? No.